Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Preparing For The Unthinkable': CDC To Teach Health Professionals What To Do In Case Of Nuclear War
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a briefing for later this month on how to plan and prepare for a nuclear detonation.聽The briefing, for CDC employees, is part of a monthly series at the agency meant to "further strengthen CDC's common scientific culture and foster discussion and debate on major public health issues." (Hellmann, 1/4)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a notice touting a Jan. 16 briefing about the work that federal, state and local governments are doing in case of a possible nuclear strike. 鈥淲hile a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps,鈥� the notice states. 鈥淒espite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness.鈥� (Ehley, 1/4)
A spokesperson for the agency said planning for the event has been underway for months 鈥� in fact, since CDC officials took part in a 鈥渞adiation/nuclear incident exercise鈥� led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency last April, Kathy Harben said in an email. ... Still, the timing of the announcement was eerie, coming on the heels of back-to-back threats exchanged between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. (Branswell, 1/4)