Although infectious disease outbreaks have long threatened the well-being of human societies, the realization that such epidemics and pandemics can be controlled or even prevented in the first place is recent. With advances in scientific understanding of disease and the development of technologies for the early detection of infectious agents, health agencies are better equipped for disease prevention and surveillance. This volume explores epidemic and pandemic threats and approaches to disease detection, prevention, and surveillance, relating them to concepts that lie at the foundation of STEM education. It also describes the steps readers can take to prepare for disease outbreaks.

A Cyber-Physical System (CPS) is an integration of cyber components with their physical counterparts. A cyber unit could be either a software or hardware. Physical components are those objects, which are governed by the law of physics. CPS have transformed how we interact with the physical world, ranging from sensing the environmental parameters to controlling a complex manufacturing industry. The current pandemic has had catastrophic implications people all across the world in terms of health and economy. This book presents the significance and practicality of CPS in a pandemic situation. It provides a strong foundation to the CPS while also incorporating the latest theoretical advances and practical applications to alleviate the state of a pandemic. The book covers... Theoretical background and application-oriented overview of the different CPS models Impact of COVID-19 and similar pandemics on the engineering aspects of various industries and organisations Exciting and impactful CPS based solutions to the different pandemic situations Security and privacy in CPS when applied to critical and sensitive pandemic affected environment Describes the government-funded projects and work using CPS in real-world scenarios The book provides a unique and fresh exposure to CPS employed in a pandemic situation. It brings together researchers, practitioners, academics, experts, and industry professionals from around the world to share their knowledge and experience.

When communities face complex public health emergencies, state local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies must make difficult decisions regarding how to effectively respond. The public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) system, with its multifaceted mission to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, is inherently complex and encompasses policies, organizations, and programs. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested billions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of human capital to develop and enhance public health emergency preparedness and infrastructure to respond to a wide range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Despite the investments in research and the growing body of empirical literature on a range of preparedness and response capabilities and functions, there has been no national-level, comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those utilized in medicine and other public health fields. Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response reviews the state of the evidence on PHEPR practices and the improvements necessary to move the field forward and to strengthen the PHEPR system. This publication evaluates PHEPR evidence to understand the balance of benefits and harms of PHEPR practices, with a focus on four main areas of PHEPR: engagement with and training of community-based partners to improve the outcomes of at-risk populations after public health emergencies; activation of a public health emergency operations center; communication of public health alerts and guidance to technical audiences during a public health emergency; and implementation of quarantine to reduce the spread of contagious illness.

In November 2018, an ad hoc planning committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planned two sister workshops held in Washington, DC, to examine the lessons from influenza pandemics and other major outbreaks, understand the extent to which the lessons have been learned, and discuss how they could be applied further to ensure that countries are sufficiently ready for future pandemics. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from both workshops.

Governments, businesses, and individuals around the world are thinking about what happens after the COVID-19 pandemic. Can we hope to not only ward off another COVID-like disaster but also eliminate all respiratory diseases, including the flu? Bill Gates, one of our greatest and most effective thinkers and activists, believes the answer is yes. The author of the #1 New York Times best seller How to Avoid a Climate Disaster lays out clearly and convincingly what the world should have learned from COVID-19 and what all of us can do to ward off another catastrophe like it. Relying on the shared knowledge of the world’s foremost experts and on his own experience of combating fatal diseases through the Gates Foundation, Gates first helps us understand the science of infectious diseases. Then he shows us how the nations of the world, working in conjunction with one another and with the private sector, how we can prevent a new pandemic from killing millions of people and devastating the global economy. Here is a clarion call—strong, comprehensive, and of the gravest importance.

Since the 2014 Ebola outbreak many public- and private-sector leaders have seen a need for improved management of global public health emergencies. The effects of the Ebola epidemic go well beyond the three hardest-hit countries and beyond the health sector. Education, child protection, commerce, transportation, and human rights have all suffered. The consequences and lethality of Ebola have increased interest in coordinated global response to infectious threats, many of which could disrupt global health and commerce far more than the recent outbreak. In order to explore the potential for improving international management and response to outbreaks the National Academy of Medicine agreed to manage an international, independent, evidence-based, authoritative, multistakeholder expert commission. As part of this effort, the Institute of Medicine convened four workshops in summer of 2015 to inform the commission report. The presentations and discussions from the Workshop on Research and Development of Medical Products are summarized in this report.

The most recent Ebola epidemic that began in late 2013 alerted the entire world to the gaps in infectious disease emergency preparedness and response. The regional outbreak that progressed to a significant public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in a matter of months killed 11,310 and infected more than 28,616. While this outbreak bears some unique distinctions to past outbreaks, many characteristics remain the same and contributed to tragic loss of human life and unnecessary expenditure of capital: insufficient knowledge of the disease, its reservoirs, and its transmission; delayed prevention efforts and treatment; poor control of the disease in hospital settings; and inadequate community and international responses. Recognizing the opportunity to learn from the countless lessons of this epidemic, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop in March 2015 to discuss the challenges to successful outbreak responses at the scientific, clinical, and global health levels. Workshop participants explored the epidemic from multiple perspectives, identified important questions about Ebola that remained unanswered, and sought to apply this understanding to the broad challenges posed by Ebola and other emerging pathogens, to prevent the international community from being taken by surprise once again in the face of these threats. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

While much progress has been made on achieving the Millenium Development Goals over the last decade, the number and complexity of global health challenges has persisted. Growing forces for globalization have increased the interconnectedness of the world and our interdependency on other countries, economies, and cultures. Monumental growth in international travel and trade have brought improved access to goods and services for many, but also carry ongoing and ever-present threats of zoonotic spillover and infectious disease outbreaks that threaten all. Global Health and the Future Role of the United States identifies global health priorities in light of current and emerging world threats. This report assesses the current global health landscape and how challenges, actions, and players have evolved over the last decade across a wide range of issues, and provides recommendations on how to increase responsiveness, coordination, and efficiency â€" both within the U.S. government and across the global health field.

"Technologies of digital contact tracing have been used in several countries to help in the surveillance and containment of COVID-19. These technologies have promise, but they also raise important ethical, legal, and governance challenges that require comprehensive analysis in order to support decision-making. Johns Hopkins University recognized the importance of helping to guide this process and organized an expert group with members from inside and outside the university. This expert group urges a stepwise approach that prioritizes the alignment of technology with public health needs, building choice into design architecture and capturing real-world results and impacts to allow for adjustments as required"--

As global warming intensifies, experts warn of an increase in the number and severity of droughts around the world. This volume uses accessible language and engaging examples to inform middle-grade readers of what drought is and how scientists and engineers are learning ways to predict where it will occur and mitigate its consequences. Tools such as the U.S. Drought Monitor, U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook, and Drought Impact Reporter are explained. Irrigation, soil sensor, and gene engineering technologies are also explored. The final chapter offers suggestions for what readers can do to help, ending the narrative on a hopeful note.