Godspeed, Ebola 'czar' Ron Klain!

Am I missing something or is the "unqualified" Ebola czar Ron Klain the most successful "czar" under any U.S. President? No Americans died, Ebola is off the TV and out of the papers, we're all breathing easy again.... I mean, the only possible retort I can think of is that Ebola wasn't that big a deal to begin with; that the CDC had it under control all along; that maybe the GOP and its colleagues on Fox and talk radio just made it erupt into a pants-shitting crisis to win votes and then promptly dropped it mid-November as soon as they had what they wanted -- a Congressional majority...

..But no, no. I can't accept that cynical explanation. I prefer the more positive explanation: that Ron Klain is public health genius on par with Albert Sabin and a saint on par with Mother Teresa.

Godspeed, Mr. Klain!  We thank you for your selfless service to our country!

Ebola czar Klain to depart White House in March

By Anita Kumar

December 8, 2014  | McClatchy Washington Bureau

URL: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/12/08/249390/ebola-czar-klain-to-depart-white.html

We cut science funding at our peril

Not good:

The US still leads in biomedical research spending, and output measured by research publications, but it has been declining for over a decade. Funding for the NIH is now down to 2000 levels, taking inflation into account. NIH funding was doubled under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton; it should be doubled again.

Worse, its budget has been slashed by another 10 per cent for the second half of this year under "sequestration", the US's austerity programme. And things are going to get worse. Sequestration will lead to an additional 9 per cent cut next year in overall government spending, and the non-profit Coalition for Health Funding reports that the House of Representatives is considering NIH cuts of a further 19 per cent, stopping work in progress and shutting down new ideas.

Additional cuts will also strike the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the finger in the dyke against new pandemics – there is abad one fulminating right now in the Middle East. The CDC is in the process of cutting virtually all of its funding to schools of public health for research on epidemic preparation.

Thanks, Tea Parties!

Apocalypse soon, if we keep on cutting science

By Andrew Feinberg

August 5, 2013 | New Scientist

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929280.200

CDC on preparing for zombie apocalypse

This blog post at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tried to answer every American's main concern: "How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?" It was so popular the traffic took down the entire blog.

There are also less likely disasters like a flood, tornado or earthquake when zombie-preparedness measures could serve you well, I guess.

According to the CDC, these are your Key Supplies:

> Water;

> Food (Twinkies?);

> Medications;

> Tools and Supplies;

> Clothing and Bedding;

> Important documents (you might need your passport to flee the zombie hoard; or, your original birth certificate to be authorized to become the 1st President of the new zombie-free state "Birtherstan"); and

> First Aid supplies (useless if you are bitten).

But the CDC totally forgot:

> "Guns. Lots of guns."

> LOADS of ammunition;

> Various hand-held weapons;

> Seeds for a garden in your home fortress;

> Lime and other materials for a latrine in your home fortress;

> Gasoline, batteries, generator;

> Signal flares to attract the Army, if they're not dead yet;

> Construction materials for fortifying and repairing your home fortress;

> Books and board games to fight deadly boredom during the weeks and months barricaded in your home fortress;

> etc.

Actually, the list of survival needs is so long that, if you haven't started preparing yet, chances are it's already too late for you....

The CDC also says you should have an Emergency Plan, including:

> The types of emergencies possible in your area. (Zombies, duh);

> A designated meeting place for your family to regroup;

> Your emergency contacts... or just a list of people to call and say goodbye to as zombies are breaking down your doors and windows;

> Your evacuation route. (See "Birtherstan" above. Located one valley over from Galt's Gulch).

BTW, if you watch the series "The Walking Dead" then you know the CDC, headquartered in Atlanta, wasn't any good at stopping the zombie apocalypse. Let's hope they do a better job in real life!

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

By Ali S. Khan.

May 16, 2011 | CDC Public Health Matters Blog

URL: http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp