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Measles response and the value of public health preparedness

Like emergency management, public health preparedness is a system designed to assess threats to the public and determine measures to mitigate those threats.

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By Anthony S. Mangeri, MPA, CEM, EMT, faculty member, Emergency and Disaster Management Program at American Military University

Like emergency management, public health preparedness is a system designed to assess threats to the public and determine measures to mitigate those threats. Vaccinations are an example of mitigation measures designed to reduce risk and threat to the community as a whole.

The latest emerging or reemerging infectious disease that is putting communities at risk is the measles outbreak of 2015. This outbreak is actually four separate outbreaks, which have emerged in the past two months.

The Reemergence of Measles
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting more than 170 cases of measles in 17 states in the last two months. More than 74 percent of the reported cases are directly related to an exposure at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif. There are also three unrelated and ongoing measles outbreaks in Illinois, Nevada, and Washington.

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