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LATEST NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
May is Mental Health Awareness Month – SAMHSA’s Communication Toolkit
Discover SAMHSA's comprehensive Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit, a one-stop shop featuring social media content, best practices for healthy discussions, and promotional materials to raise awareness year-round. Designed for easy sharing and customization, these resources emphasize the importance of mental health in overall well-being and offer support for those living with mental illness.
Join SAMHSA in spreading awareness by utilizing their materials and hashtags like #MHAM2024, and engage your communities in meaningful conversations about mental health. Together, let's prioritize mental well-being and foster a supportive environment for all. Find their toolkit here.
New COVID ‘FLiRT’ Variants Show Virus Isn’t Going Away
The emergence of new COVID-19 variants, dubbed "FLiRT," underscores the persistent threat of the virus despite declining cases and relaxed pandemic measures. While current variants like KP.2 and JN.1 haven't shown increased severity, the evolving nature of SARS-CoV-2 prompts uncertainty about future mutations.
Vaccines remain effective, but monitoring is crucial as variants like KP.2 become dominant, comprising nearly a quarter of infections. As hospital reporting requirements ease, ongoing vigilance is vital. Infectious disease experts stress that these variants are subvariants of omicron, emphasizing the need for continued public health measures. Learn more about the FLiRT variants and their implications in this article from The Hill.
Update on CDC’s Avian Influenza A(H5N1) “Bird Flu” Response Activities
The CDC continues to address a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in dairy cows across the U.S., collaborating with USDA, FDA, and state officials using a One Health approach. Currently, 42 dairy cattle herds in nine states have confirmed cases. While no new human cases have emerged since April 1, despite monitoring over 260 individuals, CDC remains vigilant.
Efforts include providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to farmworkers and conducting studies on the virus's severity and transmissibility using ferrets as a model. Results are expected in three weeks. This proactive approach underscores the importance of preparedness in safeguarding public health. Read more from the CDC here.
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Six Steps to Using AI in Your Communication Strategies
In the realm of public health communications, the rapid emergence and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ushering in a transformative era. As a comprehensive leader in communications, public relations and marketing technologies, the Cision company understands the importance of embracing AI’s capabilities early in its development stages as a critical element in the future of addressing complex challenges, bolstering crisis response, and ultimately improving the health outcomes of communities worldwide.
During the Cision-sponsored showcase session “AI & the Future of Crisis Comms,” at the 2023 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing & Media (NCHCMM), its panelists shared key findings and insights derived from real-life crises before delving into a focused conversation on how AI is re-shaping crisis communications in healthcare and empowering healthcare communications teams.
As a supplement to that inspiring and insightful discussion, Cision has followed up with six ways public health communicators, at all levels, can integrate the enormous power of AI tools into their daily work processes. The NCHCMM management team is happy to share these steps as part of our ongoing efforts to keep public health communicators informed and up to date on the evolution of public health communication in a changing world.
Please click here to access the Six Steps to Using AI in Your Communication Strategies.
Gun Violence is the Number One Public Health Threat
Many of the health threats that plagued Americans several decades ago—such as unclean drinking water, bacterial and viral illnesses, and the consequences from behaviors such as smoking cigarettes and not wearing seatbelts—have been successfully diminished. These health threats were reduced thanks in part to the work of public health initiatives.
However, a significant public health threat lingers without much hope on the horizon for a definitive resolution – the threat of gun violence.
Unfortunately, results from a recent Axios/Ipsos American Health Index poll indicate that the majority of Americans surveyed now name gun violence in their communities as the number one health threat, followed closely by the threat of the opioid epidemic.
The discussion of gun violence is intrinsically linked to political divisiveness. However, regardless of political lines, the threat to everyday Americans’ safety remains. The more that public health communicators and health organizations can reframe the issue of gun violence as a salient public health threat, the more progress may be made to ensure that Americans are safe.
Here’s what you need to know about the state of gun violence in 2023 and how this kind of violence represents a threat to public health.
U.S. Preparedness for the Next Pandemic
The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration came on May 11, 2023. One significant lesson emerging from the COVID crisis is that the U.S. and most of the world were unprepared for it. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies stress that it is never too soon to prepare for the next global emergency.
Will the U.S. be able to respond to the next global public health crisis?
“We Cannot Kick This Can Down the Road”
While it may feel like the country is winding down from the effects of COVID, many public health leaders and experts warn against complacency and inaction. Instead, they urge governments to negotiate policies and enact legislation to prepare for the next pandemic.
At this year’s United Nations annual assembly, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the inevitability of the next pandemic. He claimed, “We cannot kick this can down the road” because it is only a matter of when, not if, the next public health threat will emerge.
The WHO is drafting a pandemic treaty that the member states will vote on in next year’s general assembly. This new treaty represents an agreement including more than 200 recommended actions countries can take to improve global security. Also, the treaty’s call to action covers the entire spectrum from pathogen identification to widespread vaccination.
Recognizing June as National Men’s Health Month
Men and women should be proactive about their health. However, some health issues pertain specifically to men. Each June, healthcare organizations around the country recognize Men’s Health Month as a way to encourage men to take care of their health and prevent future illnesses.
National Men’s Health Month can also serve as a helpful nudge for some men who are reluctant to discuss health issues with their medical providers.
Whether you work in public health, are a man, or are a person who loves a man, raising awareness about specific men’s health concerns is a great way to recognize Men’s Health Month this June.
This article will show you how to encourage men to take care of their bodies, prevent disease, and seek medical attention to stay well. Furthermore, supporting men’s health overall can also help men in minority groups stay healthier.
How Can Men Stay Healthy Over the Long Term?
Staying healthy as a man means maximizing one’s longevity and taking steps to avoid the development of disease. This lifelong mission boils down to a few key pillars of healthy living that include exercising, healthy eating, and sleeping enough. And avoiding habits that can impact your long-term health, such as smoking cigarettes or drinking heavily.
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"Public Health Speaks"
CDC Online Newsroom
- Statement from CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deb Houry on 2023 Overdose Death Data
- Transcript for Vital Signs Telebriefing: Drowning Deaths Rise in the United States Making swimming lessons more accessible can save lives
- Drowning Deaths Rise in the United States
- CDC Updates Dog Importation Regulation; New Rules will Start August 1, 2024
- Readout of CDC Call with State Public Health Partners Regarding Avian Influenza and Farmworker Protection
- CDC warns of E. coli outbreak linked to organic walnuts sold in bulk
- CDC Announces Important Advances in Protecting Americans from Heat
- CDC warns of Salmonella Infections linked to Contaminated Basil sold at Trader Joe's
CDC Latest COVID-19 Science Update
CDC FluView Weekly Summary
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- EARLY RELEASE: Vital Signs: Drowning Death Rates, Self-Reported Swimming Skill, Swimming Lesson Participation, and Recreational Water Exposure - United States, 2019-2023
- Notes from the Field: Potential Outbreak of Extrapulmonary Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies massiliense Infections from Stem Cell Treatment Clinics in Mexico - Arizona and Colorado, 2022
- Notes from the Field: Increases in Imported Malaria Cases - Three Southern U.S. Border Jurisdictions, 2023
- Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Illness Outbreak Associated with Untreated, Pressurized, Municipal Irrigation Water - Utah, 2023
- MMWR Supplement: A Standard Framework for Evaluating Large Health Care Data and Related Resources
NPHIC YouTube Channel
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CDC Vital Signs: Health-Related Social Needs Can Keep Women from Getting Lifesaving Mammograms
15 May 2024
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Firearm Injury and Violence Prevention AD
15 May 2024
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Firearm Injury and Violence Prevention
15 May 2024
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National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Awardee Highlight: Mississippi
15 May 2024
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National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Awardee Highlight: Alabama
15 May 2024
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CDC Vital Signs: Drowning Increases in the U.S.
15 May 2024
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Brad Dusek and the National ALS Registry: Taking on ALS
15 May 2024
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ACD February 21, 2024 Meeting
15 May 2024