Ivy van Domselaar’s Key Definitions of Disasters

In this brief, Ivy van Domselaar compares and contrasts key definitions and descriptions of “disasters,” discussing what creates the most disruptive and destructive disasters in the context of public health. Additionally, Ivy van Domselaar describes “acute” vs. “slow onset/advanced warning” categories of disasters and the best indicators of public health disaster impacts. 

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Ben Outten’s Discussion on Public Health Pandemics

The H1N1 Influenza pandemic of 2009 spread to more than 208 countries worldwide and infected at least 622,000 people. In this brief, Ben Outten compares the public health responses to the 2009 pandemic and the MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia to responses during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Outten considers how general familiarity with the flu as a disease may have impacted the implementation of face mask regulations.

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Srija Gogineni’s Discussion on Trends in Disasters and Disaster Fatalities

In this discussion, Gogineni presents trends in natural disasters and terrorism. She comments on how climate change is increasing natural disasters on a global scale, and how disaster warning systems and efforts in global coordination can help reduce the number of fatalities in the event of these disasters. Gogineni also discusses the role of increased security in public areas in decreasing the number of terrorist attacks.

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