NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters
A student-led journal driven by the latest research in public health disaster preparedness and management.
A Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory was issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat against low vaccination rates for influenza, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This warning comes as national and international respiratory disease prevalence has increased significantly in recent years in both children and adult populations.
Continue reading “CDC Issues Health Alert for Increasing Immunization Against Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV in 2023-2024”
In 2023, catastrophic natural events––floods, earthquakes, droughts, and storm–– dominated the news. In February, a twin earthquake with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 devastated Turkey near the Syrian border. In September, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Morocco, followed by two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in Afghanistan in October.
Continue reading “Extreme Natural Disasters in 2023”On September 27th, 2020, Napa County experienced a relentless wildfire known as the Glass Fire. The fire lasted 23 days, damaging 1837 structures, 792 homes, and causing an estimated 70,000 people to evacuate the areas affected.
Continue reading “Srija Gogineni’s Case Study on 2020 Napa County Glass Fire”
Cases of measles and rubella are increasing at a dangerous rate across Yemen. Measles is an acute viral respiratory infection which, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications. Rubella has the same symptoms as measles caused by a different virus. Both infections are highly contagious and can live in the air for up to two hours.
Continue reading “Surge of Measles and Rubella Cases in Yemen”
In the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis, Afghanistan is experiencing the aftermath of three separate 6.3 magnitude earthquakes throughout the country in a week’s time. Two earthquakes occurred only thirty minutes apart from each other, both 6.3 magnitude. The earthquakes hit the Herat Province, which stretches alongside the Afghan-Iranian border. Infrastructural destructions caused by this devastating disaster has displaced thousands of people, either after the initial shakes or the approximated seven tremors that followed.
Continue reading “Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan Worsens Following Destructive Earthquakes”
Sepsis is a fatal medical emergency which is estimated to be involved in approximately 48,000 deaths in the UK annually. The disease is defined as “poisoning in the blood” and is a highly dangerous condition caused by the pathogen of an ongoing infection. In the United States, an estimated 1.7 million Americans develop sepsis annually and approximately 350,000 adults succumb to the condition while receiving treatment in the hospital. With sepsis mortality rates increasing worldwide, researchers are shifting their focus from the efficiency in treating the condition to developing better screening methods for it.
Continue reading “Researchers Urge Shifts in Current Sepsis Screening Methods”
As global temperatures increase, tick-borne illnesses are surging in prevalence. Public health officials urge that people take extra precautions when outdoors to protect themselves. The United Kingdom has seen a one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in temperature within the last 30 years, which has been identified as the cause for increasing tick lifespan.
Continue reading “Tick-borne Encephalitis Cases Increase due to Global Climate Change”
This summer, cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a rare and life-threatening bacterium, have been on the rise across different regions along the east coast in the United States. This bacterium is known to cause sepsis, a serious infection in the bloodstream that can potentially cause irreparable organ damage or death in extreme cases. Necrosis fasciitis, otherwise known as flesh-eating bacteria, is often an additional symptom of the infection.
Continue reading “Increasing Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria in the United States”
Antibiotic resistance is regarded as a “silent tsunami”, as described by Emad Ahmad, a member of the Mosul General Hospital in Iraq. The hospital’s recent antibiograms (tables showing antimicrobial susceptibility) have presented evidence of increasing antibiotic resistance for an array of bacterial infections.
Continue reading “Antibiotic Resistance: Iraq’s Silent Post-War Enemy”
Roughly 550,000 people in the United States are on recurring dialysis, a crucial treatment that can be the difference between life and death for a patient suffering from kidney faliure. During Hurricane Harvey, Ariel Brigham was left stranded in her flooded apartment, missing numerous dialysis appointments which treated her kidney failure.
Continue reading “Patients and Nephrologists Urge National Emergency Stockpiles to Include Dialysis Machines”