Humanities Homework Help

Discussion Requirements

A substantive comment should be approximately 300 words or more for each response (A total of 2 response).

Read the initial comments posted by your classmates and reflect upon them.

Before writing your comments:

• Review the Discussion grading rubric to see what is expected for an excellent discussion, in order to earn full credit.
• Review some resources to help you synthesize, such as the following:

Sullivan, J. (2011). Strategies for Synthesis Writing. Retrieved from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/edu/Strategies-for-Synthesis-Writing.html

NOTE: You are required to cite sources and include a reference list for the second post if it is simply your opinion. However, if your opinion is based on facts (as it should be), it is good practice to strengthen your position by citing sources.

Be sure to meet all of the criteria in the rubric, as noted in the instructions above.

Third post for each module discussion:

Read the initial and secondary comments posted by your classmates and reflect upon them.

Directly respond to at least one classmate in a way that extends meaningful discussions, adds new information, and/or offers alternative perspectives.

MY POST

DO NOT RESPOND

Classmates and Professor,

Do you think that we are taking the right approach in preparing for bioterrorism? Why or why not?

Preparations for bioterrorism are on a higher level, and the World Health Organization has designated two centers meant for planning and responding to the anthrax attack. Since 2001, the World Health Organization has been on high alert of combating anthrax if it gets outbreak and the is a center in the United States and Russia. There is already a smallpox response plan which dictates what should be done in case there is a smallpox outbreak in the world (Grundmann, 2014). There are mitigations set in place, and if such an outbreak occurs, the countries are already prepared to deal with such an outbreak.

There are already prepared protective gear and respirators against biological agents which might be used to cause diseases. There is the consideration for anthrax vaccine and vaccine for other conditions that might be on the outbreak (Aschenbrenner, 2018). There are public health response guides that stipulate how public health should be handled in an epidemic. There is also guidance for protective buildings and environments that should hide places for people in case of a disease outbreak. Center for Disease Control also has guidelines on the funding of local governments and states if there is an outbreak, and there are protocols well stipulated on what should be done.

In the light of the above, one can conclusively say that we have taken the right approach to prepare for bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is an act of war that produces virus-causing diseases in the laboratory and can be used to attack a country by releasing those viruses to the people. They cause diseases, some of which are incurable. Countries have developed measures to take in case of an outbreak, and they are prepared in terms of personnel and medical equipment. There are secure communication channels between the CDC and the local governments and states. These communication channels are crucial, and in case of an attack, information flows smoothly among the countries, and proper stoppage measures are taken. These and more measures have been put in place, and therefore it is my take that there have been the proper preparations for bioterrorism put in place.

Pedro

References

Aschenbrenner, D. (2018, November). Drug Approved to Treat Smallpox After a Bioterrorist Attack. AJN, American Journal Of Nursing, 118(11), 21. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.naj.0000547660.47166.0f

Grundmann, O. (2014, October). The current state of bioterrorist attack surveillance and preparedness in the US. Risk Management And Healthcare Policy, 177-178. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s56047

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (CDC). (2021). Information for Public Health Departments and Healthcare Facilities. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Bioterrorism Response Planning: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/bioterrorism-response…

RESPONSE 1

Professors Question:

Plans and frameworks are good if they are socialized and people know how to implement them, and what to do. Otherwise, these documents are just that documents. What could be done to improve preparedness at the local, community, individual/family level? How can we as individuals make sure we are as prepared as we can possibly be?

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RESPONSE 2

Class,

The threat of bioterrorism is extraordinarily prevalent today as the United States’ preparedness against biological threats is currently being tested through the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19). Although COVID 19 is not classified as a biological attack through terrorist means, it still upholds the same threats of biological contamination. The threat of biological matter is not common; however, it is important to continuously prepare against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Many foreign nations are studying, developing, and potentially preparing the deployment of CBRN weapons.

Preparedness against all forms of terrorist threats is important as the United States faced criticism following the biological threat of anthrax in 2001, and the increasing threat of Smallpox as another biological weapon. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has worked to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop plans and programs to prevent, mitigate, and respond to CBRN related threats. The CDC (2016) continuously studies new research for treatment, vaccinations, and outbreaks of biological materials, specifically smallpox, as it is a prevalent threat by our adversaries. For this reason, the Strategic National Stockpile was created, to hold a reserve of medical equipment to serve as a countermeasure against an impending threat. (HHS, 2020) The CDC (2019) ensures that proper information is relayed to the public about any threat facing the United States populous and ensure they receive the proper medical treatment through the use of the Strategic National Stockpile and the execution of the Homeland Security’s Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) to promote a competent disaster response program. The HSEEP consists of a multitude of training exercise programs involving the DHS (2020), specifically the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to train personnel, evaluate plans, and provide improvements to disaster response.

The DHS, CDC, and HHS are continuously working to protect the United States from a biological terrorist attack and show improvements as compared to the 2001 Anthrax attack response. Today there is a multitude of programs and agencies in place to prepare, mitigate, and respond during a national crisis, however, the recent COVID 19 has proved there is still room for improvement. The current situation has uncovered a lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) readily available, not just for medical personnel, but for the rest of the populous. Additionally, the difficulty in having the entire population cooperate with medical professionals to help mitigate the spread of biological contaminants. Government organizations have improved, however, there are still areas that must be addressed for future national/global incidents.

Ismael

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (December 2016) Smallpox Preparedness. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/bioterrorism/public/preparedness.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (January 2019) Smallpox Prevention and Treatment. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/prevention-treatment/index.html

Department of Health and Human Services (April 2020) About the Strategic National Stockpile. Retrieved from: https://www.phe.gov/about/sns/Pages/about.aspx

Department of Homeland Security (January 2020) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). Retrieved from: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1582669862650-94efb02c8373e28cadf57413ef293ac6/Homeland-Security-Exercise-and-Evaluation-Program-Doctrine-2020-Revision-2-2-25.pdf

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Module 3 – Background

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Required Reading

How to prepare for a wildfire. (2014). FEMA. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1409003859…

State of California Emergency Plan. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.caloes.ca.gov/PlanningPreparednessSite/…

2018 National Preparedness Report. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1541781185…

Required Websites

California Office of Emergency Services: http://www.caloes.ca.gov/

California Wildfires (DR-4344). FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4344

California Wildfires (DR-1731). FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/1731

Plan and Prepare for Disasters. DHS: https://www.dhs.gov/topic/plan-and-prepare-disaste…

Wildfire Mitigation. FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/hmgp-appeal-keywords/9155