APHA

“…….Mississippi adopted its first compulsory vaccination law in 1900, adding a religious exemption in 1960. Almost 20 years later, in 1979, the religious exemption was challenged in court, with the plaintiff arguing that the state must expand the exemption to include any religion, not just religions officially recognized by the state. In response, the Mississippi Supreme Court struck down religious exemptions altogether, ruling that non-medical vaccine exemptions violate people’s constitutional right to equal protection under the law.

The decision was a big win for public health, but it certainly has not stopped attempts to water down Mississippi’s vaccine rules…..”

HxC

Fox

Canada Pandemic Prep Document

Abstract

Henry B on behalf of the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Task Group. Canadian pandemic influenza preparedness: Public health measures strategy. Can Commun Dis Rep 2019;45(6):159–63. https://doi.org/10.14745/ccdr.v45i06a03

“Public health measures, also known as non-pharmaceutical interventions, are basic actions aimed at slowing the community spread of a communicable disease outbreak. In the event of an influenza pandemic, public health measures and antiviral drugs are the only tools available to mitigate the effects of the pandemic during the months before a vaccine becomes available. The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Planning Guidance for the Health Sector (CPIP) outlines how federal, provincial and territorial governments will work together to ensure a coordinated and consistent health sector approach to pandemic influenza preparedness and response.
This article summarizes Canada’s pandemic public health measures strategy, as described in the recently updated CPIP Public Health Measures Annex. The strategy builds on lessons learned during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

Key elements of the public health measures strategy include individual measures (e.g. hand hygiene, self-isolation when ill), community-based measures (e.g. school closures, cancellation of mass gatherings), management of cases and close contacts, travel and border-related actions and public education. Factors that influence the effectiveness of public health measures in a pandemic include the pandemic epidemiology, timing of implementation, how the measures are used (i.e. alone or in combination), their scalability and flexibility and public compliance. The CPIP is an evergreen guidance document and the Annex will be updated as new information warrants.”

FDA

“FDA plays a critical role in protecting the United States from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and emerging infectious disease threats. FDA ensures that medical countermeasures (MCMs)—including drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests—to counter these threats are safe, effective, and secure.

Together with U.S. government partners through the Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE), FDA helps define and prioritize requirements for MCMs in public health emergencies. This includes coordinating research, setting deployment and use strategies, and facilitating access to MCMs.

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (PAHPRA) requires FDA to issue an annual report detailing its medical countermeasure activities. This report responds to that requirement for the latest fiscal year available.”