Public Health Actions to Control Measles Among Afghan Evacuees During Operation Allies Welcome - United States, September-November 2021.

On August 29, 2021, the United States government oversaw the emergent establishment of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Department of State (DoS), to safely resettle U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan to the United States. Evacuees were temporarily housed at several overseas locations in Europe and Asia* before being transported via military and charter flights through two U.S. international airports, and onward to eight U.S. military bases,† with hotel A used for isolation and quarantine of persons with or exposed to certain infectious diseases.§ On August 30, CDC issued an Epi-X notice encouraging public health officials to maintain vigilance for measles among Afghan evacuees because of an ongoing measles outbreak in Afghanistan (25,988 clinical cases reported nationwide during January-November 2021) (1) and low routine measles vaccination coverage (66% and 43% for the first and second doses, respectively, in 2020) (2).

From Survey to Assessment: Characterizing Michigan's Public Health Workforce.

OBJECTIVE:: To plan for continuity of operations, it is important to know which types of position vacancies within health departments are likely to occur and the kind of training needed to ensure protection of the public's health. METHODS:: To describe anticipated gaps in the public health workforce and to identify specific areas of training needed to ensure a highly skilled workforce, the authors surveyed Michigan state employees with public health responsibilities in spring 2007. RESULTS:: More than half (54%) of surveyed public health professionals reported they plan to leave the workforce within 10 years. Preparedness-specific topics were generally viewed as less important than more general public health topics. Some preparedness-funded tools have become integrated into daily operations, whereas others were viewed as more important in an everyday, rather than emergency preparedness, context. CONCLUSIONS:: Framing preparedness activities beyond the scope of preparedness to directly relate them to daily public health operations would encourage public health professionals to perceive them as more important. For public health preparedness to be fully realized, it must be considered a central component of public health operations, allowing for seamless integration during emergencies small and large.

User patterns and satisfaction with on-line trainings completed on the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness Training Web Site.

Short online training modules have been developed by the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (NCCPHP) and provided to registered users for free on its Training Web Site. Use of these modules can improve the knowledge, skills, and awareness of public health professionals in topics related to public health preparedness. According to the results of a survey implemented in October 2004, the NCCPHP Training Web Site is effectively reaching its target audience of local and state public health workers. The utilization of distance learning technology allows for broad distribution of training materials, with registered users in all 50 US states and 122 foreign countries. In addition, the NCCPHP Training Web Site is providing training materials in topics most requested by the public health workforce. According to the findings of this survey, online training in public health preparedness and response is an efficient way to improve the knowledge and skills of our public health workforce to increase competency.

Development and implementation of a public health workforce training needs assessment survey in North Carolina.

Assessing the training needs of local public health workers is an important step toward providing appropriate training programs in emergency preparedness and core public health competencies. The North Carolina Public Health Workforce Training Needs Assessment survey was implemented through the collaboration of several organizations, including the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health, the outreach and service unit of the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response in the North Carolina Division of Public Health Epidemiology Section, and local health departments across the state.