Disaster Lit® Database Daily Updates

Disaster Lit® Database Daily Updates

Educational Continuity: The Role of Schools in Facilitating Disaster Recovery

06/19/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder, Natural Hazards Center. Published: 6/19/2019. This report, part of the Research Counts: Children and Disasters Special Collection, discusses research that shows that when adequately prepared, schools can and do buffer the negative impacts of disaster. It details the need for sufficient capital and capacity, robust planning, Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans, and strong leadership and school management. It explains that for written plans to be successful, they need to be well-informed, practiced frequently, and shared widely with all those who may be impacted by an event. (Text)

Medical Experts: Inadequate Federal Approach to Opioid Treatment and the Need to Expand Care

06/19/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Published: 6/19/2019. This three-hour, 19-minute Congressional hearing examines why so many patients and families in need of opioid and substance abuse treatment are unable to obtain it; whether the responses to date from the Executive Branch and Congress have been adequate to address this generational crisis; and a bill, the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which is intended to increase access to evidence-based treatment and wraparound services critical to supporting sustained recovery. (Video or Multimedia)

Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo

06/19/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Published: 6/19/2019. This one-hour webinar from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Partners Information Connection (EPIC) and CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases discusses the current Ebola situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how organizations sending U.S.-based workers to areas with Ebola can ensure the health and safety of their workers before, during, and after deployment. Speakers also address response efforts and challenges, and the travel health notice for the areas. (Video or Multimedia)

Adopt AWaRe: Handle Antibiotics with Care

06/01/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: World Health Organization (WHO). Published: 6/2019. This new tool was created to reduce antimicrobial resistance and ensure access. It uses the AWaRe classification (Access, Watch, Reserve), in the context of a comprehensive review of the optimal antibiotic choices for many common infectious syndromes in adults and children. The overall goal is to reduce the use of Watch Group and Reserve Group antibiotics (the antibiotics most crucial for human medicine and at higher risk of resistance), and to increase the use of Access antibiotics where availability is low. (Text)

Emerging Microfluidics Technology and Its Implications for Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Weapons

05/01/2019 12:00 AM EDT

Source: National Defense University. Published: 5/2019. This 23-page report details how microfluidics and nanofluidics have various implications for both the offensive and defensive sides of chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. It explores both extant and potential implications, including dual use issues, and explains how both biological and nuclear weapons also require chemistry, indicating potential applications for microfluidics. (PDF)