Discuss the policies concerning development of medical countermeasures

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Assignment Objectives: Describe how biosecurity is used to minimize biological threats. Discuss the policies concerning development of medical countermeasures.

Assignment: This assignment should take about 3 hours to complete.

Mosquito-borne diseases constitute a major threat to human health. Malaria continues to be a significant killer worldwide, with an estimated 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 and an estimated 627,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Other important mosquito-borne illnesses include yellow fever, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya virus and most recently the Zika virus. In 2015, the first outbreak of Zika virus in the Brazil occurred. The disease spread rapidly across the Caribbean islands and into Central and South America.

Read “Before the swarm: Guidelines for the emergency management of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.” Watch the Fauci video “Zika Virus: A Pandemic in Progress.” Optional readings are listed from the CDC and Pan American Health Organization on the chikungunya outbreak and provide insights into the management of emerging disease outbreaks.

Write a 600-word essay and cite the references in APA style. Use outline below as topics to guide development of your essay from your research.

–Background: Describe effective public health measures for preventing the spread of Zika virus.
–Barriers to Prevention: What are some barriers to the use of effective prevention measures?
–Analysis of Zika in the U.S.: Could major outbreaks of Zika virus occur in the United States? Why or why not?
Reading:

Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (2008). Before the swarm: Guidelines for the emergency management of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Washington, DC: Association of State and Territorial Health Officers. Retrieved from http://www.astho.org/programs/environmental-health/natural-environment/before-the-swarm/

Katz, R., Chapter 11, Surveillance, Essentials of Public Health Preparedness, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Burlington, 2013.

Video

Fauci, A.N., (March 18, 2016). Zika Virus: A Pandemic in Progress, US DHHS, National Institutes of Health,

https://videocast.nih.gov/Summary.asp?File=19561&bhcp=1

Supplemental/Optional Readings

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Recent Outbreaks and Incidents: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/recentincidents/index.asp

Pan American Health Organization, Chikungunya page: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_topics&view=article&id=343&Itemid=40931

Photo story: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=25929&Itemid