Disaster Lit® Database Daily Updates

Disaster Lit® Database Daily Updates

Sphere Handbook 2018

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: Sphere Project. Published: 11/6/2018. This 458-page handbook, which updates the 2011 edition, comprises the Humanitarian Charter, the Protection Principles, the Core Humanitarian Standard, and minimum humanitarian standards in four vital areas of humanitarian response: Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene promotion (WASH); food security and nutrition; shelter and settlement; and health. It has a stronger focus on the role of local authorities and communities as actors of their own recovery, and provides strengthened guidance on context analysis to apply the standards. (Text)

Interim Updated Planning Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine During an Influenza Pandemic

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Infectious Diseases (CDC OID). Published: 10/26/2018. This 25-page document was developed to update and provide interim guidance on pandemic influenza vaccine supplies for planning purposes, and to provide the rationale for a national vaccination program during a pandemic that also allows for local adjustment where appropriate. Guidance is provided with the understanding that the numbers of people within each group are estimates for planning purposes, and actual recommendations may change for a future pandemic and as the pandemic progresses. These guidelines replace the 2008 Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine. (PDF)

Wet-Vacuum-Based Surface Sampling Method for Chemical Agents

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC). Published: 10/2018. This 102-page report summarizes the development of a wet-vacuum method to sample medium to large areas for chemicals. The purpose of this project was to provide responding agencies with information on the effectiveness of a wet-vacuum sampling approach for the collection of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agent surrogates deposited on building materials with different porosities. (PDF)

Development of Laboratory Equipment and Protocols for the Assessment of Rain, Water Wash-Down, and Channelized Flow for Removal of Spores on Urban Surfaces

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC). Published: 10/2018. This 78-page report documents the characterization of custom-designed laboratory-scale rainfall simulators, channelized flow, and spray chambers. These pieces of equipment were constructed for studying the fate and transport of spores that are an environmental contaminant and public health concern. The report includes data that document the spray patterns and intensities of the nozzles that were tested and ultimately selected for use in the instruments. (PDF)

Evaluation of Stormwater Detention Basins to Improve Water Quality and Enable Emergency Response During Wide-Area Contamination Incidents

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC). Published: 10/2018. This 80-page report provides information about a project to design and test detention pond outfall retrofit devices to determine the effectiveness of these devices in eliminating stream erosion, improving receiving stream water quality, and providing the capability to respond and mitigate wide-area contamination incidents. The results indicated that multiple contaminants (nutrients, bacteria, and cesium) can be effectively removed by different types of media that are cost-effective without jeopardizing the basin's flood prevention capability. (PDF)

Conduct of Clinical Trials of Treatments During Public Health Emergencies: A Health Policy and Bioethics Consortium

11/08/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: Harvard University. Published: 2/9/2018. At this panel discussion, two health policy experts examine the appropriate conduct of clinical trials during public health emergencies. They discuss the current awareness of the need to rapidly develop vaccines and treatments for epidemics such as Ebola and Zika that can quickly spread from country to country, and the questions that remain about how to best conduct clinical trials and development of vaccines in the context of an epidemic or outbreak. (Video or Multimedia)

Basic Emergency Care: Approach to the Acutely Ill and Injured

11/07/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: World Health Organization (WHO). Published: 10/2018. This course, developed in collaboration with the International Federation for Emergency Medicine, is an open-access training course for frontline healthcare providers who manage acute illness and injury with limited resources. The package includes a Participant Workbook and electronic slide decks for each module, and teaches a systematic approach to the initial assessment and management of time-sensitive conditions where early intervention saves lives. (Text)

Introduction: Operational Readiness (Tier 1)

11/07/2018 12:00 AM EST

Source: World Health Organization (WHO). Published: 4/2018. This course aims to equip frontline responders with the knowledge to address all hazards and emergency response situations at both country and regional levels using the World Health Emergency Operation Readiness (OPR) program. Participants will learn to describe each core element of OPR; understand what OPR is and how it is achieved; implement, enhance, and support OPR within their emergency functions/duties; and advocate support for OPR in their settings. (Video or Multimedia)