Posted on 08/01/2005 11:15:20 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
— Diseases like smallpox, the avian flu and hemorrhagic fever seem like distant threats to many Americans. But what if one of these diseases, either by terrorist or unwitting traveler, crossed the border into the Rio Grande Valley?
Organizers of a new bioterrorism and emergency preparedness program want to make sure Valley health professionals are thoroughly prepared for such a possibility.
The University of Texas Health Science Center’s School of Public Health in Houston, along with other universities, now is offering training sessions on bioterrorism and disaster preparedness throughout the region. UT’s School of Public Health in Brownsville and Texas A&M’s School of Rural Public Health also are involved in the program, called La Frontera.
“We know that the border is a vulnerable area. We also know that resources are not particularly plentiful to address the volume and quality training at the community level that need to occur,” said Dr. Mary desVignes-Kendrick, deputy director of the Center for Biosecurity and Public Health Preparedness at UT School of Public Health in Houston.
University instructors have held a couple of sessions in the Valley already, and several more will take place in August, desVignes-Kendrick said.
The workshops address several bioterrorism-related topics, including Texas laws on response to bioterrorism attacks; clinical signs of a bioterrorist attack; advanced disaster life support; mental health care during a disaster and reporting outbreaks.
At the end of the workshop, attendees participate in a “desktop exercise” in which they brainstorm on what actions to take during an imagined outbreak.
The $1 million project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“It’s the first time we’re doing something of this magnitude along the border,” desVignes-Kendrick said.
As part of the project, the University of Texas School of Public Health in Brownsville is holding a conference Aug. 16-19 on public health preparedness. In addition to discussing bioterrorism, officials will talk about recognizing and treating avian flu — a bird-borne virus that has infected some humans in Asia — and addressing flu outbreaks in vulnerable populations. Other topics will include the status of tuberculosis in the Valley and hemorrhagic fever, which has been reported in Africa.
So far, 150 local health professionals have registered for the conference, said Dr. Joseph McCormick, regional dean of the UT School of Public Health in Brownsville.
Professionals who will participate in La Frontera include physicians, nurses, paramedics and public-safety workers, officials said.
McCormick said it was particularly important for health professionals along the border to be prepared for an outbreak or attack.
“Because the border has such a large amount of traffic going both ways … it’s important we have our people trained to respond to these problems,” he said.
melissam@valleystar.com
Just one more reason...ping...
But in reality, if you look at the health of Mexican citizens in the interior, away from the depressed border areas...It relatively normal...
I'm of the opinion that the stress of trying to cross the border illegally, little food and water, dealing with people who take money from them to assist in their illegal act, brings about a physical stress that lowers the bodies ability to ward off communicable diseases, staph, dengue, etc etc...But thats just my opinion...
How do you solve this issue...Well thats why we got to secure our borders and get the problem under control...
Easy enough right??? We have a problem with finding a willing partner in this which should be our government...
Representative Culberson (TX), has a pretty neat idea...But figure the odds of getting that bill through...
Border Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
TB and dengue are already a problem, the TB situation being huge, because of our lax immigration policies.
ping
This is now a fast moving threat, moving quickly out of Asia and toward Europe. It will likely soon be here - but in what form is yet unknown.
Secure the borders now. The administration has had ample time to implement secure borders and enforce current immigration law.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
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